Chinese swimmer Sun Yang wins first title after return from suspension

China's three-time Olympic gold medalist Sun Yang won the men's 400-meter freestyle title on Sunday at the 2024 National Summer Swimming Championships in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province.

Sun, representing Zhejiang Province, topped the podium in three minutes, 49.58 seconds. After returning from a 51-month suspension, the 32-year-old showed that he remains close to his past form by leading the race from the first 200 meters.

"I could have done better," Sun said after the final. "Four years away from competition, and without intensive training, I do feel rusty in controlling the tempo and I need more competitions. But it's a good start for my comeback and I'm happy with this result."

Sun added that he plans to compete in more events and hopes to have a better performance next year. He also expressed gratitude for his family's support.

Born in December 1991 in Zhejiang's capital, Hangzhou, Sun became China's first-ever Olympic champion in men's swimming at London 2012, where he claimed top honors in both the 400m and 1,500m freestyles.

At Rio 2016, he won the men's 200m freestyle to become the first-ever male swimmer to collect Olympic golds in the 200m, 400m and 1,500m freestyles.

In June 2021, a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) panel announced that Sun committed anti-doping rule violations "when an unsuccessful attempt was made to collect blood and urine samples from him at his residence on September 4-5, 2018."

The judgement added: "The panel concluded that a period of ineligibility of four years and three months (i.e. 51 months) commencing on February 28, 2020, is to be imposed on Sun Yang."

The National Summer Swimming Championships is a Class B national swimming event in China, second only to the National Swimming Championships in terms of level and prestige.

The competition, running from August 25-28, has attracted 499 athletes from 24 teams nationwide.